Beluga is the oldest fish on the planet, which appeared on earth over 200 million years ago. The only closest relative of the beluga is Kaluga, an inhabitant of the river basin of the Far Eastern region.
Beluga habitat
The sturgeon family includes fish, the first representatives of which appeared many centuries ago. They differ from other species of fish in their characteristic features of appearance, the main feature of which is five rows of bony scutes located along the elongated body of the beluga.
Like all sturgeon fish, the beluga has an elongated head, while in its lower part there are 4 antennae reaching the mouth of the beluga. In addition, the structure of sturgeons contains features of more primitive cartilaginous fish, but the main distinguishing feature of sturgeons is that the base of their skeleton is an elastic cartilaginous notochord, thanks to which the fish fully develops, even taking into account the fact that it lacks vertebrae in its structure.
Not more than 100 years ago, this giant was found in the basins of the Caspian, Black, Azov and Adriatic seas. Today it can be found only in the Black Sea basin, or rather in the Danube River, as well as in the Caspian Sea basin, exclusively in the Urals. In the basin of the Sea of Azov, or rather in the Volga River, one of the subspecies of beluga is found, the number of which is artificially maintained.
Since many countries are engaged in artificial fish farming, the beluga population has not yet decreased in the reservoirs of Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Serbia and Turkey. And this is due to the fact that measures to restore the population of this fish take a special place in solving such problems. Only at the state level is it possible to solve such complex problems.
Appearance
The external appearance of the beluga reminds of its similarity with sturgeon fish species. The distinctive features include:
- Large enough mouth.
- Not a big blunt nose.
- The first spine, located on the back, is small in size.
- There is a membrane between the gills that connects them.
Beluga is distinguished by a wide, heavy, rounded body, which is painted in a gray-ash shade. The belly is off-white, sometimes with a yellowish tint. A large head is located on the massive body. The whiskers located at the bottom of the snout resemble leaf-like appendages as they are joined together.
Beluga sometimes interbreeds with its congeners such as sterlet, thorn, Russian sturgeon. The result is hybrids that outwardly have some differences associated with the structure of the body, gills or color. Despite this, hybrids do not differ in their behavior from their congeners.
Beluga is a fish that has a peculiar behavior among representatives of this species. There are two forms that differ in the period of spawning migrations and the duration of stay in fresh water. In the sea, the beluga prefers to lead a solitary life, and being in the river, it gathers in numerous flocks. This is due to the fact that it comes to the rivers for spawning, and in the sea it only feeds and develops.
Food
Beluga is a predatory fish and it starts to lead this way of life quite early. The diet includes fish such as herring, carp, pike perch and gobies. At the same time, the beluga is not averse to swallowing its relative if it is small in size and hesitated somewhere.
In addition to fish, it is capable of swallowing mollusks, waterfowl and even baby seals if it reaches the appropriate size. Experts have come to the conclusion that the migrations of the beluga are associated with the migrations of its food supply.
Omnivorous sea giants prefer most of all in their diet:
- sea gobies;
- herring;
- hamsu;
- all representatives of the carp family;
- crucian carp;
- rudd;
- roach.
Spawning
One of the subspecies spawns earlier than the other. Its spawning period coincides with the maximum spring water level in rivers. At the same time, the water temperature can reach + 8- + 17 degrees. Another subspecies comes in for spawning from the seas around the month of August. After that, individuals hibernate in deep pits, and begin to spawn in the spring. Beluga begins to spawn at the age of 15-17, after reaching a weight of about 50 kg.
Beluga lays eggs at a depth of at least 10 meters. At the same time, she chooses areas with a hard rocky bottom and with a fast current, which provides the spawning site with oxygen.
Fish living in the seas enter rivers for spawning, therefore it is called anadromous fish. Being in fresh water, it continues to actively feed. After spawning, as soon as fry emerge from the eggs, she returns to the sea with them. Beluga comes to spawn once every 2-3 years. At the same time, there is a species that lives in rivers constantly and does not migrate over long distances.
Beluga - albino
Among the sturgeon fish species, there is a unique fish - this is an albino beluga, many private fish farms are ready to give any money just to get such a specimen. In the wild, an albino beluga is almost impossible to meet, the chances are about one in a million. This fish is also valued for the fact that it gives not black caviar, like other sturgeon breeds, but golden caviar. In the world market, golden albino beluga caviar costs about $ 40,000 per 1 kg. Another feature of the albino beluga, in contrast to the common beluga, is that the individuals are blind, and some individuals lack eyes.
The largest beluga
The largest beluga caught in Russia in 1922 still holds the palm. She weighed 1224 kg and was caught in the Caspian Sea. The giant fish was filled with Tsar-fish caviar in size comparable to oceanic monsters: sharks, killer whales, narwhals.
Several other facts of catching gigantic belugas have been confirmed. In Kazan there is even a stuffed giant fish that weighed a ton during its lifetime. The carcass, 4, 17 m long, was donated to the city by Nicholas II himself, and today the stuffed animal made of it is exhibited in the museum. Anyone can admire the huge fish.
Another curious specimen during its lifetime had a length of almost 6 meters and a weight of up to a ton. His story is amazing. This beluga was caught by poachers, gutted the most valuable caviar, and the carcass was thrown away.
Population conservation problems
Beluga belongs to the endangered species of fish from the planet. Most individuals do not have time to grow to their maximum size, as they are caught by poachers and lovers of unusual sea trophies. In addition to fishermen, industrial facilities also contributed to the population decline. Due to the active construction of hydroelectric power plants, the dams of which are located on the path of fish migration, they create obstacles for their movement to spawn. Due to hydraulic structures and their dams, the passage of belugas to the rivers of Hungary, Slovakia, and Austria is completely blocked.
Another problem is the constantly deteriorating environment. Since the life span of a beluga is several years and even reaches a century, poisonous, harmful substances that enter the environment as a result of human activities have time to accumulate in it. Pesticides, chemicals and hormones negatively affect the reproductive capacity of giant fish.
To preserve the unique king-fish, you will have to make a lot of efforts, otherwise the population will soon completely disappear from the planet.
Interesting Facts
The marketable weight of the beluga starts from 5 kilograms, but the largest beluga fish reached a length of 7 meters and exceeded one and a half tons in weight.
A fish, going to spawn, tries to find an ideal place for itself, without finding which, it may not spawn at all.
Coming to spawning, the beluga breaks the bottom and lays eggs surrounded by a large number of snags and reeds. Washes up to a million eggs, which are extremely appreciated by amateurs from all over the world.
